White's operation: the history of 19th century attempts to treat prostate disease with castration

Abstract

To understand the roots of 19^th century hormonal treatments for BPH in the career of J. William White, a prominent surgeon scientist at the University of Pennsylvania. We reviewed primary and secondary literature available in PUBMED, the University of Pennsylvania Archives, and internet resources. In 1893, Dr. White presented a series of experiments demonstrating atrophy of the canine prostate following castration and advocated for this procedure in men suffering from prostatic hypertrophy. This approach was adopted by many of White's contemporaries. In 1895, White presented findings from 111 patients and reported improvement of urinary symptoms in three quarters of these patients. Improvements in surgical techniques for prostatectomy have predominantly eliminated castration as a clinical procedure for BPH treatment. These early experiments demonstrated the critical dependence of the prostate on testicular androgens and were the basis for subsequent hormonal therapies for BPH. In conclusion, the bold experiments of late 19^th century surgeons paved the way for our contemporary understanding of the important role of sex steroid hormones in BPH.

Keywords: History; benign prostatic hyperplasia; castration; testosterone.